Bowling began making his Map Paintings in his SoHo loft, using an overhead projector and stencils to trace the shapes of continents, including South America, Africa, and Australia, onto monumental canvases. In Raining Down South, Bowling marked these contours as well as outlines of a picture of his mother’s house in Guyana. He then poured paint onto the canvas, allowing each color to slowly stain it. Pigment washed away the demarcated borders of the land, a symbolic acknowledgement of the fluidity of culture and heritage amongst people who share Bowling’s Afro-Caribbean roots.
2024
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Frank Bowling
British, born British Guiana (now Guyana) 1934 3 works onlineLeaving British Guiana (now Guyana), his country of birth, Frank Bowling arrived in London and joined the National Service in the Royal Air Force in 1953.
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Maps, borders, and networks
People have been creating maps since ancient times. The earliest map, thought to be a schematic representation of the night sky, was found in the caves of Lascaux, France. It dates to 14,500 BCE.
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Stain
Paint thinned with solvent and applied to the canvas like a wash. Rather than remaining on the surface, a stain is absorbed into the canvas.
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